Warmth of Summer
by system.out.println
Summary: In one uneventful day in Kourindou, Rinnosuke suddenly finds an unexpected customer. From then on his afternoons were never the same. Originally posted in deviantArt. Rinnosuke x Youmu
1. Chapter 1

My name is Rinnosuke Morichika. Not much is known about me, though. All day, I sit around in my shop, Kourindou, which has lots of stuff from outside the border of Gensokyo. Whenever there aren't any customers, I'd just grab my PSP (a handheld gaming device that humans from outside Gensokyo play) and waste my time. I'd say that I have a lot of free time.

I met a lot of other humans and youkai who are living near here. Some of them are shy, but there is the occasional Yukari, a youkai, who would love to sit down and chat for a while (whenever she's awake). I just love the sight of people taking a visit in my shop. A good thing from being half-youkai is that I can get potential customers from both races!

One fine afternoon, I left Kourindou closed and headed for Yukari's place to restock my fuel supply. I really don't like leaving my shop unattended but it can't be helped. I have to recharge my batteries if ever I want to play any game on my PSP.

As I walked through the woods, I saw a peculiar streak of light, most likely a youkai who isn't probably a regular in these parts... No one in the forest ever moves that fast, disappearing without a trace. It couldn't be a firefly.

Maybe a trickster youkai? Or could it be Aya taking pictures of the forest? I paid no mind to that streak of light...

Until it hit me...

A very strong force just knocked me over, sending my face flat on the partly moist soil. If I were just a mere human, I would've been seriously injured or even killed. Being half-youkai has its other perks, I guess.

I managed to regain my composure and stand up.

I shook off the dirt from my clothes. As I fixed my glasses, I looked around and saw what hit me. At first I thought it was a human girl but on second glance, I saw a ghostly figure floating around it. I was unsure whether she was a human or a youkai... or was she somewhat similar to me?

"Ouch!" she yelled. "I'm sorry!"

"Are you alright?" I asked as I reached out my hand to her.

She blindly searched for my hand and grabbed it at once, pulling herself up. It was cold. Her hand was cold like an autumn breeze. As she shook the dust from her clothes, I took a moment and looked at her.

She was a petite figure clad in a white blouse, green vest and skirt, with a ribbon each on her collar and her silvery hair. And she also seems to be carrying two swords.

When she was done tidying herself, she bowed her head at me and profusely apologized as though she committed the gravest crime she ever did.

"It's okay," I assured her. "I'm not really that hurt." It took me quite a while to tell her that I'm alright.

"Are you from here?" she asked me. "Do you know of a shop called Kourindou? I kinda got lost."

"Kourindou?" I quickly answered. "I'm Kourindou's shopkeeper. If you're going there, I'll be more than happy to take you there."

"Really?" she said excitedly. "Take me there, please!"

"With pleasure. But I must first see Yukari. I need to get something from her."

"I just got there. Lady Yukari told me to bring this to Kourindou." She pulled out something out of her pocket, something that I didn't expect someone like her to be carrying: a pack of AA batteries. "She told me it was for Kourindou's shopkeeper."

"That would be me," I interrupted. "Rinnosuke Morichika."

"Yes! That's right!" she said as she handed me the batteries with both hands. I took the batteries and stuffed it in my front pocket. "Please take me to Kourindou, Mr. Morichika! But if you want, I can carry you and we'll get there in a split-second! Or I can have Myon carry you."

She reached out for white ghastly cloud which was with her this entire time and petted it. I had to decline. I don't even want to imagine myself riding on a cloud, much less ride on a girl who is more than a head shorter than I am.

"Thanks for the batteries but no thanks for the ride," I said as politely as possible. "I'm fine with walking... uhh... What's your name?"

"Konpaku. Youmu Konpaku," she replied eagerly. "And this is my other self, Myon."

"Other self?"

"Yes. We of the Konpaku family are half-human half-ghost beings who serve Lady Yuyuko. I am the human half and Myon is my ghostly half."

"That's great. I'm a half-human too. A half-youkai."

We simply walked back to Kourindou. No flying, no mach-1 running, just walking. She didn't look bored despite the eagerness to get there as fast as possible. I looked at her again. A half-ghost, huh? Maybe that's why her hand felt a bit cold. I wonder. Come to think of it, there's really nothing in me that looks youkai-ey.

After walking for a while, we arrived back in Kourindou. I took out the batteries from my pocket and put it on my table. I took a few and put it in my PSP charger (the thing humans use to restore a PSP's energy). I played while it was charging and passed the time.

But then, I remembered that I wasn't the only person in the store. I completely forgot that Youmu was also here. I paused my game and looked around for her. Myon's floating around made looking for Youmu a lot easier. I rushed to where she was and I saw her looking around browsing through my wares.

It looks like she's interested in something. I walked up to her and did my job, since she's the only customer at the moment.

"Anything you like?" I asked.

"Nothing really," she said. "Just looking around."

"What brings you here?" I asked again. "Aren't you just going to deliver my batteries?"

With that, she seemed to have stopped. Her head slowly turned to face me. Did I say anything wrong?

Suddenly, her pale face turned pink. She also seemed to be fidgeting a bit. Even Myon seemed to be fidgeting as well.

"Lady Yuyuko... She told me to have a day off..." she faltered. "So she told me to go to Kourindou and..."

"And... what?"

"Lady Yuyuko told me to ask you if you can have tea with me!" she jabbered loudly with her eyes closed, and then, she bowed to me.

"If it's okay with you, Mr. Morichika."

I felt bewildered. All this just for a cup of tea? Those two... What are Yukari and Yuyuko up to? But whatever it is, it's just downright... weird.

"Sure. Why not?" I answered happily. "And please, call me Rinnosuke."

"Thank you, Mr. Mori... I mean... Mr. Rinnosuke! I'm much obliged"

-----

It was already got a bit late by the time I got the tea ready. I brought the tea set on a tray to the porch and set it on my favorite tea-drinking spot. I grabbed two cushions and placed them side by side. All done. The last thing to do was to call Youmu.

"Youmu! Tea is ready!"

I sat on the cushion closest the tea comfortably and let my legs hang from the end of the porch. Youmu sat down on the other cushion but instead of letting her legs hang freely like mine, she sat on her legs. Whatever works. She took the two swords from her waist and laid in on the floor just beside her.

I poured the tea over both our cups. I took her cup and handed it to her. I saw as she started breathing the fragrant steam from her teacup. It seems like her regular tea-drinking routine ritual or something. I took my cup and did the same as well. It seems that tea would taste a lot better that way, savoring every bit of vapor first before putting the cup on your lips...

It was hot! My mind went blank for no real reason, which led me to take a sip without thinking. How stupid! I can't enjoy tea with a scalded lip! I frantically licked my lips to soothe the pain.

"Are you alright?" asked Youmu anxiously as she reached out her hand. "Here..."

"I'm fine. I'm half-youkai. Something like this wouldn't really..."

I was interrupted when she put her fingers on my lips. They were cold. They were much colder than when I touched them earlier. It felt like a mountain river passing through just my lips. My burn was soothed in an instant. But when she took her hand away, the feeling disappeared in an instant, but at least my burn healed, though.

"Thanks," I said, snapping my mind back into the world. I felt embarrassed. Before even taking a real sip at my tea, I felt warmth rush to my face. She merely sniggered in reply. Well, I guess that could count as a "You're welcome."

"I'm a half-ghost," she explained. "I'm colder than a normal human. Even if I drink tea, I still won't be warmer."

We sipped our tea (I became more aware of my tea after being scalded). After finishing our cups, I poured for seconds. I gave her her cup. I gently blew on my cup as I pondered on what she said. Can't be warmer? That'd be sad. She wouldn't really benefit from my heater (the thing humans from outside Gensokyo use to warm their rooms). But enough of that... She's a half-ghost. I'm a half-youkai... Come to think of it, we are indeed both half-human.

"Umm..." I said, breaking the silence. "What are you gonna do afterwards?"

"I'd be going back to Hakugyokurou and be with Lady Yuyuko," she said. "I'd be doing my job of taking care of the souls. I wouldn't say it's boring but..."

"But... what?"

"Everyone in Hakugyokurou are ghosts and humans aren't allowed to enter. I felt like I shouldn't even be there because I'm half a human. I know I'm half-ghost at least but... It's confusing. I don't think I should be..."

"Go on. I'm listening. Just tell me your thoughts."

"Sigh... I told this matter to Lady Yuyuko. She told be that Lady Yukari also knew someone with the same condition," she said, her pace in speech quickening. "So she told me to go to Lady Yukari's place because she can tell me the way to Kourindou. There, Lady Yukari told be to take those battery things to Kourindou and then I got lost and then..."

"And then you bumped into me," I interrupted. "Don't tell me she's referring to me!"

"In fact, yes, she did tell me about you."

I can't believe it. I really can't fathom what would happen if you put two age-old friends together. Oh well... It's good to have new company once in a while. Yeah. All this thinking halted when she suddenly faced me and bowed down to me until her forehead almost reached her knees.

"If I'm disturbing you, I'm terribly sorry," she said, sounding very apologetic. "I'm sorry for the trouble Lady Yuyuko and Lady Yukari had done."

"No. It's all right. It's all right. No harm done."

"B... but... but I..."

I put my tea and her tea back on the tray and faced her. Myon seems to float erratically whenever she feels agitated like this. I lifted her head up to stop her from apologizing too much, and looked into her eyes. Her eyes were indeed that of a human's. It didn't have the abyssal look that ghosts usually have. And it had the shine that humans have when their eyes well up in tears...

Tears?

Tears fell from each of her eyes. I promptly wiped them off with my hand. Her face was just as cold as her hands. She closed her eyes to squeeze out the tears that still welled up. She then touched my left hand with her right and caressed it.

"Your hand," she breathed sadly. "It feels so warm... like the summer. Lady Yuyuko's hands never felt warm at all. I never felt this kind of warmth before... This human warmth... Please stay like this for a while... if you don't mind... Rinnosuke"

"O... okay..." I stuttered. My heart raced. Is it really okay? I don't know. I can't even understand myself. I feel so strange. The sound of her saying my name like that sent my mind into a weird state of confusion. Her face and hands felt cold as she gently rubbed my hand on her cheek. She seemed to have stopped crying, though. So I guess staying like this would be okay...

She opened her eyes and looked at me, as though she was feeling all of my warmth with just a stare.

"I can feel your breath," she whispered. "I wonder if..."

She leaned forward. She put her hands on my face. My face turned cold in an instant. She was leaning closer. It felt like every inch of me was being robbed of warmth altogether as she went closer. I couldn't move. I lost all my strength. She drew closer and closed her eyes... and it seemed that my eyes also lost their strength and closed shut...

Her lips felt cold.

After a moment which seemed like eternity, we parted and looked at each other in the eyes. Everything looked blurry. My glasses seemed to have fogged up. I removed them and wiped them with my sleeve and wore them again. I looked at Youmu as she gave a weak smile.

"I've always been looking for other people like me," she said. "After my father left, I'm the only half-ghost left in Hakugyokurou. The only company I have there is Lady Yuyuko, but she's a full ghost. She may be a kind mistress, but... she's not a human... All other humans don't really like me because I'm a half-ghost."

"But I'm not a half-ghost. I'm half-youkai."

"It doesn't matter..."

She wrapped her arms around my shoulders and embraced me tightly. I embraced her in return. It felt strangely soothing to be embracing such a slender waist that just fits right in your arms. She felt quite cold but it didn't seem to matter anymore. I felt warm entirely. It could be because of the tea but her embrace felt as human as possible.

"You're so warm, Rinnosuke," she whispered in my ear.

I just realized that it was already dark. The sensation of Youmu in my arms completely robbed my sense of time... and I guess it is the same for her.

"Youmu," I whispered in her ear, "it's already night. Shouldn't you be going home to your mistress?"

"Yikes!" she yelped cutely, tossing me away. "I forgot! Lady Yuyuko must be looking for me!" I stumbled back, but still careful not to land on the tea. I made a subtle laugh at her sudden change in attitude. She fidgeted, not really knowing what to do next.

"Aren't you gonna finish your tea first?" I suggested.

"I'm really sorry," she apologized yet again. "Lady Yuyuko is really helpless without me. I have to go back. Who knows what she will do? But..."

"Don't worry. You can come over for tea anytime! You're always welcome here in Kourindou! If you want, you can also invite your mistress. The more, the merrier."

"Really?"

"Yes. Of course." I patted her head gently, touching her soft silvery hair while I'm at it. She smiled in return. It seemed she likes being pat in the head. She leapt up from her cushion and landed on the ground off the porch. She took her two swords and fixed them firmly by her waist.

"Thank you very much, Rinnosuke. It was a pleasure to meet you," she said. All of a sudden, she leapt at me and flung her arms around me. "But you know," she whispered, "I'd prefer if it'd be just the two of us..."

"Sure," I replied and she kissed my cheek. It was cold, but who cares, anyway?

"Thank you," she said. "I'll come over whenever I get my next day off from Lady Yuyuko! Until then, wait for me!" She let me go and leapt from the ground. In a flash of light and a gust of wind, she was gone. All that remained was her unfinished cup of tea. I better clean it up.

It never really occurred to me that I would invite someone over just for tea, but at least I had something better to look forward to than my PSP games. I looked up into the darkening sky. From now on, when I see another streak of light in the sky, I wouldn't expect my wishes to be granted but instead, I'd expect to have another nice cup of tea with another half-human just like me.


	2. Chapter 2

My name is Rinnosuke Morichika. Not much is known about me, though. All day, I sit around in my shop, Kourindou, which has lots of stuff from outside the border of Gensokyo. Whenever there aren't any customers, I'd just grab my PSP and waste my time. But recently, a certain "customer" frequents my shop just to have a cup of tea. Even if she doesn't buy anything, it certainly feels nice to have company.

Her name is Youmu Konpaku and around her floats her ghostly half, Myon. It is hard to comprehend such a strange existence. I mean… a half-ghost? I didn't really bother with the specifics. Many odd creatures, me included, live in Gensokyo anyway.

She usually comes for tea every afternoon around four, as that is the time when we first had tea. I would make us some tea and we would sit down and watch the sun disappear behind the trees in the Forest of Magic. Sometimes, she would bring me some tea she grew herself (She is a gardener, by the way) and she would insist that I use her tea for us to drink. She can be very cute during those moments.

Bah. What am I saying? I had been unable to play my PSP recently. The last save file was dated weeks ago. I seem to have been thinking of her a lot as of late, allotting my game time for more daydreaming and tea. It didn't seem to bother me at all. But sometimes, I wonder what goes on in her mind.

I heard from Reimu that half-ghosts tend to have a half-baked and straightforward personality, meaning she acts or blurts something usually without second thoughts. I'd assume she wasn't actually talking about half-ghosts in general, though, since Youmu is the last one of her kind.

Speaking of Reimu, she told me that she was going to hold another "Hakurei Summer Festival" in her shrine. Previous feasts were all pretty much fun even though I never really looked forward to these feasts. But this time, something… or someone had changed all that.

"Please go out with me to the festival!" shouted Youmu while I was cleaning the counter yesterday noon. She bowed in such a way that her back went almost parallel to the floor, hands clenched together.

I wasn't sure what to say that time. No one in Gensokyo had ever asked me for favors, not counting the times people tried to haggle. My mind went blank for a few seconds, Youmu still bowing deeply. I'm not sure whether the situation or just looking at her bow that deeply was the cause for my discomfort. I just opened my mouth and the words simply escaped me.

"Sure! I'll go," I said, removing traces of hesitation from my voice. "I guess it'd be more fun at the festival with you around."

"Really?" she gasped eagerly. "Really? You'll really go with me?" She grabbed by hands and looked at me with gleaming eyes. I'd feel guilty for the rest of my life if I turn her down now. She must really be waiting for this festival.

"I told you. I'll go with you to the festival. I promise." I gently pat her head and stroked her hair. I saw the pale skin on her cheeks turn slightly pink. The discomfort I felt earlier vanished as I saw her smile at me.

"At the night of the festival, I'll come here and pick you up! Until then, I'll be preparing so I won't come over for tea!" she said with haste before disappearing with ghostly speed through the door. My mouth ended up agape as I intended to say something else after that. Later that dusk, I had tea alone.

The festival was coming up tomorrow. I sat on my porch with my tray which had just one teacup instead of the usual two. Ever since she asked me out yesterday, she had been absent on our regular tea sessions. It makes me wonder what kind of preparations she was doing. I'm sure everyone's busy for the festival, especially Reimu and Suika who would be the ones organizing the party. As for everyone else who wouldn't be putting up booths, it would be okay to slack off until the time of the festival. What would Youmu do that would require two days to finish? I took a sip on my tea and heaved a sigh.

The next day came, and tonight would be the night of the festival. At day, Reimu and the others would be busy finishing the preparations for the festival. I kept calm and relaxed as if nothing is going to happen. Everyone else would be preparing for who-knows-what, exciting themselves for the festival. Some would be preparing for their yukatas to show off… Yukata?

I can't believe the idea just crossed my head just now, when it's just hours before the festival starts. That's probably what Youmu was preparing for. She was planning on showing me her yukata. Come to think of it, she always wore that green and white outfit whenever I saw her. But I don't think it'd be something that would take two days to finish. I felt my heart race just imagining what she would look like in a yukata.

Hours seemed like days as I waited in front of my shop. I already closed my shop for the festival and I had been walking around in circles in waiting. I tried busying myself with my PSP but I can't hold back my anxiety. Do my clothes look fine? Does my hair look good? I had been tidying myself up for the past few minutes. Beads of sweat formed on my forehead and I promptly wiped them off with my handkerchief.

The sun was sinking. It was the time when we usually have tea on my porch. From a distance in the woods, I saw someone approaching slowly. Knowing Youmu, she would have ran as fast as she could to avoid being late but this time, the sun had already disappeared behind the trees. It wasn't like her. Maybe it wasn't her. I turned by my heels and resumed walking in circles.

"Rinnosuke!" she called. I was sent in shock upon hearing Youmu's voice. Apparently, the person I ignored earlier was actually her. "I'm sorry. Did you wait long? I'm very sorry. I'm not used to walking with geta."

"No, not really," I stammered. My mouth twisted into a weak smile. As I recovered from the surprise, I was faced with yet another surprise as I saw Youmu's outfit. As I expected, she wore a yukata but what I didn't expect was for it to look simple yet astonishing. Her outfit resembled her normal attire: a green yukata emblazoned with white floral patterns, a black and white obi wrapped around her waist, and the yellow geta which prevented her from running at her maximum speed. Her two swords were tied snugly on her obi.

"How do I look?" she shyly asked. I gulped down at the sight of her fidgeting and batting her eyes at me. Whether it was intentional or not, her cuteness almost made me faint. It's hard to resist. "It looks great on you," I replied, retaining my composure.

"I… I'm glad," she sighed in relief. "Lady Yuyuko and I spent two days making this yukata for me so it would be a waste if you didn't like it." I already knew this beforehand, in fact. But I guess it'd be more fun if I pretended that I didn't know. She tugged on my sleeve and put a finger on her lips, barely making eye contact. "Can we… lock arms?" she asked. "I can't walk well with these geta."

"Okay," I said. She promptly hugged my right arm, with one of her cold hands holding mine, and we walked at a slow pace through the forest. The forest was unusually dark today, probably because most of the youkai already went to the festival. Night had already embraced the sky above the forest. The light of the sunset was replaced by bright lights, likely the ones used for the festival.

We had been walking like this for a while that we lost track of time. It didn't matter to me if we arrived late or not. Just having Youmu tenderly caressing my arm is enough to keep me at ease. I remembered ditching the festival once before and regretted it after because Reimu barged through Kourindou the next day and scolded me like crazy. But now, it didn't matter. Nothing beats a nightly walk with Youmu.

All of a sudden, I felt Youmu's grip on my arm grow tighter and then pulling me down, making me lose my balance, and fall to my side. I heard a few twigs snap before a loud thud. It took me a few moments before actually feeling the pain from bumping my head on the ground. Clasping my head in dizziness, I helped myself up and tried focusing my eyes but then I noticed that my glasses are missing. The darkness wasn't really helping at all in my attempt to view my surroundings.

"Are you alright?" I asked in an audible voice. "What happened? Are you hurt?" I groped in the darkness for my glasses to no avail. It is just too dark to see anything and with my ocular impairment, the situation became worse.

"Here you go," I heard Youmu's voice in front of me. My vision suddenly fixed itself and my eyes focused on a somewhat blurry image of Youmu. She seemed alright to me. No bumps, no bruises, no cuts, and just the pale flawless skin on her right shoulder.

"Youmu! Your yukata!" I said worriedly. Likely because of what just happened, her yukata has been… how do I put it… messed up. The neatly folded cloth became creased and smudged in many places. The white floral designs were now tinged with brown. Her right sleeve had been pulled, exposing her shoulder. She then looked at herself and tried to fix her outfit. Seeing that it's impossible to remove the creases right there and then, she cried silently, helplessly.

"I… Lady Yuyuko… she helped me dress up for today…" she said in between gasps, "She even helped me sew this yukata… just for this day… She was happy for me… I'm such a klutz…"

"Now, now… You're not a klutz."

"But I just tripped… I ruined my yukata… I've been wanting to show this to you… I've been waiting for the festival just to show this to you."

"There, there," I said, embracing her and patting her back. "It's okay. You look great in that yukata. I'm already happy that you asked me out to the festival."

"Really?" she said, wiping her tears with her sleeve. "Are you really happy?"

"Yeah. Really. I hadn't gone to the festival with anyone before. Today would be a very special day for me."

"Rinnosuke!" she cried, flinging her arms around my neck. I can feel her cold tears dripping down my neck, but it didn't matter. I hugged her tender form in return and gave her a pat on her silver hair. She then pulled herself from the embrace and stared into my eyes with a weak but toothy grin. On impulse, I smiled back without a single word. I touched her cold cheeks with both my hands, wiping off tears with my thumbs, feeling her hair with my fingertips. My mind certainly went blank that time.

She suddenly pulled me in for a kiss. Unlike the last time we did it, this was unexpectedly torrid. Her hands crawled to my shoulders as mine did to her hair. One of my hands ventured down to her still exposed shoulder, savoring the smoothness of her skin. The cocktail of sensations ensued as I felt a sudden warmth inside of me, negating the cold feeling of Youmu's skin. Even her mouth felt warm as my lips and tongue probed inside it, lashing against hers.

I snapped back to my senses and pulled myself out of the entangling kiss. I panted heavily as I wiped the drool off my mouth. My vision was blurry but then I realized that my glasses had fogged up, so I removed them and wiped them on my clothes.

"Are you alright?" asked Youmu, seemingly unfazed by what just happened.

"My glasses just fogged up. More importantly, the festival…"

"Hush," she interrupted as she placed a finger on my lips. She took my glasses from my hands and stuffed it in my front pouch. "The festival can wait. For now, let's enjoy ourselves to the real festival…"

She removed her finger and moved closer to my face.

"You can see me clearly if I'm this close, right?" she asked.

I gave her a quick nod and she kissed my lips again. This was more gentle, more passionate, yet more tantalizing. The lightness of each stroke of her lips on mine were excruciatingly robbing me of the sensations earlier, making me yearn for more. I grabbed Youmu tightly by the clothes and pulled her in for a deep kiss. As we explored each other with our hands, I felt my clothes loosen by the movements. Youmu's obi fell apart in the process, undoing her yukata, revealing her small naked form. I pulled myself out once again, but this time, just to gaze at the pale skin of body.

"You… don't have any underwear on?" I stammered, trying my best not to embarrass her.

"I really… wanted you…" she breathed. "So Lady Yuyuko told me to…"

"What in the world is your Lady Yuyuko teaching you?" I exclaimed. "What the heck…"

I was too aroused to be annoyed. I peeled of what remained of Youmu's yukata and laid her on her clothes. I laid myself on top of her and gently kissed her neck. She let out a muffled moan, which urged me to continue. My hands seemed to move on their own as one of them crawled from her face down to her neck, to her shoulder, and to her humble, yet soft, breast. It fit my hand snugly so I gave it a mild touch. I began creeping my lips up her ear while stroking her breast. It seems that she was beginning to have difficulty suppressing her moans, only making me grow more excited.

My hand crept down to her waist and to her hips. I slowly caressed her silky thigh, moving inward towards her crotch. It was surprisingly wet. When I began stroking it with my fingers, her body suddenly twitched. She wrapped her arms and legs around me as I proceeded stroking her wet crotch. My clothes slid off my body, one piece at a time, starting from my pouch where my glasses are kept. I felt a cool breeze blow up on my spine and Youmu noticed me shiver a bit.

Her whole body was drawing me in, letting my skin come in contact with hers. She kicked her feet, likely trying to shake off the geta on her feet. As our hips moved in, I looked at her face, never drawing my attention away. I moved forward and slowly slipped myself into her. She bit her lip as to suppress the pain. Her whole body convulsed in pain: her thighs squeezed my waist and her fingers dug themselves to my back. I can hear her muffled labored breathing. She panted and then looked at me.

"Do you want me to stop?" I whispered. She merely shook her head in reply.

I pulled back and thrust again, going deeper. She gave out a shrill moan as I hit her deepest point. I felt her walls squeezing me as I went in, making me crave for more. I quickened my pace, careful not to hurt her. Her breathing quickened accordingly, letting out a short moan in each breath. Our movements began to synchronize. I felt a surge of pleasure overwhelm my thoughts and from the look on Youmu's face, it is the same for her. I touched her face and gently kissed her forehead. We paid heed neither to the wind nor the darkness. The night was entirely ours.

I suddenly felt a different kind of warmth within me. Her embrace was telling me to go on but this warmth felt heavy, trying to make me stop. As I went on, I felt the warmth inside me go down and flow outside and into Youmu. I twitched. I had to stop. Waves of immense pleasure coursed its way into my body and flowed inside her. She also seemed to feel the same way I did, convulsing in every passing wave. But then, I felt energy leak its way from me as I released my warmth. I collapsed on top of her, both of us heaving breaths. I pulled myself out and rolled to her side, barely maintaining consciousness. Before sleep had dulled my senses, I felt her caressing my forehead…

I woke up to find myself already dressed up, save for my glasses, which were still in my pouch. I put my glasses on and looked around. I saw Youmu by side, already awake, her yukata askew. I stood up and helped her fix her yukata. It wasn't really messed up beyond repair but I can't really revert it back the way it used to be before we fell. I wrapped her obi around her waist and tied it into an elegant knot. Sigh. What a helpless girl… like I'm one to talk, though…

We continued walking and finally reached the Hakurei Shrine. There were lights everywhere and everyone seems to be having fun. A young lady in a blue hat and kimono walked up to us and smiled.

"Lady Yuyuko!" yelped Youmu. "I'm sorry I'm late. We met with some trouble in the forest."

"That's alright dear," said Yuyuko as she fanned herself. She then turned to me and bowed. "Thank you for taking care of Youmu for me."

"It's my pleasure," I said as I bowed back.

"Come, come. Let's eat. I don't want to miss the food! Afterwards, let's have some fun!"

I looked at Youmu and gave her a wink. She giggled in reply. We followed after Yuyuko to the booths but little did she know that Youmu and I already had the greatest festival in our lives…


End file.
